


Last task

by mmuzachio



Category: Taskmaster (UK TV) RPF
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tenderness, Testing the Waters, Trust, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmuzachio/pseuds/mmuzachio
Summary: Greg Davies is the host of the British panel show Taskmaster, and Alex Horne is his loyal co-host. After a long day of recording, they find themselves alone in the office. Taking a moment to unwind leads the two down a path of emotional vulnerability and discoveries about their mutual feelings towards each other.
Relationships: Greg Davies/Alex Horne
Comments: 5
Kudos: 65





	Last task

**Author's Note:**

> The intent of this fanfic was to explore the relationship between the TaskHusbands in a different way. I wanted to escape the usual heavily explicit narratives to focus on feelings and plausible situations. To complete this task, I did my research by watching and listening all the available content about Taskmaster, Greg Davies and (little) Alex Horne.

One should never mistake the correct order when preparing a proper cup of tea. To Greg, pouring milk in the empty mug was the closest to a war crime as a non-violent act can be. But he laughed at himself every time this silly thought crossed his mind. However imposing and respectable he looked to everyone else, Greg made it so he would never take himself too seriously. Sometimes acting on impulse, all he truly wanted was to enjoy life to the fullest. A fundamental part of it was to cherish his relationships and truly understand their depth in different moments. For that reason, the natural progression of events and how they affected how close – or distant – he got to his friends and colleges was something that Greg would find himself contemplating almost daily. Especially when very busy, long days ended in particularly quiet nights.

Alone and sorting colorful mugs to choose which one to use, Greg felt the accumulation of hours of work over his shoulders. He was worn out, but satisfied. He didn’t want to go home yet. It seemed like a better idea to stay at the studio a little longer while he could look at things empty and silent. The lack of excitement helped him appreciate how much full of energy they managed to make that same space just a few hours prior. He was fairly sure that only one other person was around, so he finished fiddling with tea boxes and went to find them while the water was heating up. The theater had only soft service lights turned on. Walking through the rows of chairs he could hear distant sounds of a vacuum cleaner. Covered by the darkness, Greg found that the someone he had been looking for dared to be sitting in his Taskmaster throne. Alex was holding the unfailing tablet, legs crossed, clearly immersed in thought. Greg approached carefully, trying not to be noticed until it was too late for Alex to deny what he was doing. Lost in his worries, Horne didn't see the tall shadow betray Greg's attempt to keep hidden.

"What do you think you're doing?", the booming voice startled Alex, who let out an embarrassed chuckle at the sight of Greg with both hands on his hips, standing a few feet away from the throne. "Come on, mate. That's not yours to sit on." He said, faking outrage. Then took two steps closer and reached out one hand to Alex. "Plus it's not comfortable and I have tea for us upstairs..." His voice was now soft and inviting.

"Oh, that's lovely. Could you please take this for me? I'll shut the lights off and be right there in a minute", Alex asked after handing his tablet to Greg. A small nod and the taskmaster was walking back to the office. That was it, just the two of them. It was perfect actually because he had been meaning to spend some time with Alex to discuss the season so far, how pleased he was with it, and how thankful he felt for the entire team. Being a big grumpy man was all an act, the real Greg only knew to be kind.

The kettle awaited impatiently for his return, spilling boiling water over the counters. They should have replaced that old piece of crap months ago, but here it was, acting up if it lacked attention for two seconds. By the time Greg remembered the mistake, it was too late. He ran from the stairs straight to the kitchen and stopped at the doorway deciding not to risk Alex’s most important work tool in that watery mess. So then Greg took a few steps back to put the tablet down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Upon reaching the kitchen the sight was not pretty. There was water everywhere around the kettle. Some tea boxes were soggy, the mugs were standing on shallow puddles. Greg slapped it shut – promptly questioning if that was the reason why the poor thing started malfunctioning in the first place –, to then try to salvage two decent cups of tea. He made an effort to remember how Alex liked his tea, considering that the kindness of fetching tea was usually a task performed in his benefit. After the counters were dry again and most of the chaos was dealt with, he decided he had done enough. Carefully, Greg finished his simple task in the most straightforward way possible, no need to get creative. The office area was so quiet now that Greg could hear Alex shifting around to make himself more comfortable on the couch next to the stairs. He smiled again, spoon touching the edge of the porcelain. It was a good evening. He just wanted to keep enjoying it with his friend.

It seemed like the almost motionless image of Alex was asking Greg a variety of very deep, difficult questions. He just couldn’t understand the myriad of emotions surfacing during those quick steps to get closer and closer to the man who had been with him through some of the best times of his recent years. Perhaps it was his complete puzzlement that made Alex stare back as if he was expecting an explanation, but Greg had no words, just a fresh, warm cup of tea. He put down one mug in front of Alex, over the coffee table, and walked around it to the other side of the L shaped couch holding his own mug.

“Thank you, Greg”, said Alex, still splitting his attention between the work screen and his friend. He was sitting closer to the edge, right next to the stairs. While Greg found a good spot to settle down, he just kept moving things with his fingertips on the tablet. The smell of hot beverages made him sigh in relief to realize the day was finally over. Greg was now nestled by his right side, sipping tea and spying over his shoulder to get a glimpse of what he was still doing. Each time Greg adjusted his legs over the seat, Alex felt their arms brushing lightly. Regardless of how strong the air conditioning was set, Greg would always change into a short-sleeved shirt as soon as he was off the clock. Alex, on the other hand, preferred his cozy dark blue jumper. 

Finally, Alex gave up on looking at screens and let go of the tablet. They stared at each other in silence, simply acknowledging their presence. Greg lazily savored his tea without breaking eye contact. Nobody could win against him on a staring game, ever. Even keeping his mouth shut Greg would still dominate any conversation. Alex wasn’t intimidated at all by it but honestly fascinated about it. Nonetheless, the unspoken game between them was a lot more fun if he played the part.

Alex uncrossed his legs and leaned back on the couch, hands over his knees. This was how he gave up the victory, this was how he’d let Greg be Greg.

“You did great today. As usual”, said the Taskmaster between short sips.

“Well, you did too. Very good show…” Alex hesitated, clearing his throat. He would look at his clasped hands when he wasn’t really sure of what to say, glancing at his companion now and then. “Very good season. The crew is doing a fantastic job…”

“Of course. Everyone is doing great…” Greg leaned closer to rest his mug on the table. “But you just deserve a bit more appreciation than you have been given lately, I feel.”

A self-professed natural sidekick, Alex had a hard time accepting compliments. He averted his eyes away from Greg’s ever so intense gaze, lightly rubbing his hands on his pants. All he could do was to nod silently, finding some comfort on a warm gulp of tea. Then, Greg scooted even closer, legs touching, one arm stretched out behind Alex’s back. When Horne was done with his drink, he threw his body back all the way to end up lying his head on Greg’s arm. They moved slowly and gently. Despite being so used to each other, there was a slight awkwardness to overcome with every new touch. No need to rush, both enjoyed the seconds of closeness.

“How are you, little Alex Horne?” Greg said playfully, caressing his hair and looking at his face intently.

“Tired.” He replied in his characteristic matter-of-fact tone. “I feel good, yeah, good. Just a mild headache.” One hand raised to gesture the size of his discomfort, very small. Then he lifted his head and looked at Greg, pouting like he was hurt for real. Greg chuckled but soon fell quiet. Just as fast, Alex relaxed his face.

They seemed to weight each other for a moment, until Greg held the back of Alex’s head, moving forward to place a kiss in the middle of his forehead. They smiled at the gesture, Alex still not sure of how to thank him for the kindness. But before he could do or say anything, Greg went for a second bow, now with a wicked look on his face. Having just enough time to close his eyes, Horne received a mischievous kiss on the tip of the nose. That made them laugh softly, bobbing their shoulders and unintentionally sliding a little closer.

Greg once more stared at Alex’s face, who was taking his time opening his eyes back again. Davies felt the need to search for Horne’s hand like he had done so many times before. It was almost a reflex to Alex now to nest Greg’s hands between his whenever the Taskmaster reached for them. While his right hand was hugged by his favorite sidekick, the left one slipped down from the achy head to the neck of Alex. Greg gently tugged on the flesh, nearly pleading with Alex to look at him. Still unsure, but slowly giving in, Alex gathered the courage to look into Davies’ eyes.

He knew Greg had something to say. He could feel the anticipation in his breath. Otherwise so sure of himself, the mean Greg Davies was having trouble saying this one silly thing he wanted to say just because he felt like it. The moment had brought up a strange opportunity that neither was particularly seeking, but it suddenly seemed just right. He never felt so at ease with Alex. He had his impulses, and all the joy in the world to appreciate.

Greg took a deep breath, opened a wide smile, and took a chance.

“I genuinely want to kiss you right now.”

“Do you? Come on, then.”

They were smiling and hesitating. Before uttering those words, Greg had absolutely no plan on how to act in case Alex agreed. He assumed he would get flat-out laughed at and that would be it. In the same sense, Alex wasn’t expecting to call Greg on his bluff. The game suddenly became real and neither of them was ready to back out. It had happened before, but not that way, when they had no punch line to use as an excuse. Now, they just honestly wish to discover how it would feel. Maybe it was the constant provocative suggestions they would toy with, or everyone else joking about the relationship that made the idea not so foreign. But the fact remained that they barely needed to negotiate it inside their minds. And for some reason, they leaned into the antic.

Almost in sync, Greg and Alex merged their smiles in a timid kiss. Contrary to their initial expectations, there was no intention of breaking contact on either side. Instead of hastily ending it, Greg let his face relax from the smirk and sensed their warm lips together. Alex followed suit, not allowing any space for judgment in his mind. The moment solely asked for genuine physical touch. Alex took advantage of his confidence rush to pull Greg’s hand and hold it against his chest. It was like he wished to say something but through pure silence. He was trying to complete the action somehow, to make it so Greg could know not to let go just yet. And let go Greg would not because all the sensations he didn’t even know to crave were taking him by surprise. His thoughts were focused on detailing every single inch of them that was touching, from the hand on Alex’s neck to the leg he folded over and rested on his lap. He gently pulled on the skin with his fingers while sliding it down even more until he pressed the middle of Horne’s back. Perhaps this was the closest they would ever be.

Greg held Alex’s face, tenderly stroking his cheek with the thumb. They fought their way back to when this was not happening and merely kept their faces close, but not in contact. Alex knew he had to release Greg’s hand, but didn’t want to. He pulled it down and kept the grip with only one of his hands. He had never told Greg how much he appreciated every time he would randomly join hands with him during recordings of the show. It would always catch him by surprise. Now he felt like maintaining the connection for longer, even if not sure about what Greg was thinking. To his luck, the Taskmaster had no different desire and simply embraced him again, coaxing Alex to rest against his body.

It took them a moment to take full stock of the event. Greg was rubbing Alex’s arm while he looked at their fingers interlocked sitting on top of his thigh. Suddenly, both begin laughing at absolutely nothing. Cackling like madmen, Alex freed Greg’s hand, who then awkwardly hugged him. The laughter died down naturally, Davies still tapping on Horne’s leg. It was so silly, but here it was, did and done. Their courage to leave – or move – was on an all-time low. It was hard to know what to say, if they should discuss it somehow or just let things be. Also, both were very tired and not making the best judgment of any situation.

“Always a pleasure spending time with you, mate. But I guess it’s late and we should go.” Greg offered the treaty.

“You’re right. You help me just make sure everything is closed here, please?” Alex seemed to be lighter, relieved somehow. He tried to get up, but Greg resisted, forcing him to stay. He waited. He knew that look on Greg’s face, the imaginary deep breath before speaking his mind.

“Thank you.” It was Greg’s turn to avoid looking into Alex’s eyes. “I needed that, I suppose. So thank you for putting up with my silliness…”

Alex had never experienced Greg in that kind of exposed position, so candid and vulnerable. He finally understood the level of trust that was developed between the two. A sense of pride and fulfillment poured over him.

“We both needed that, Greg.” He stated, standing up right after. Greg stared at him almost confused, obviously surprised, but wearing a giddy smile.

Five minutes later, they were standing outside the studio and Greg heard the phrase that had become his favorite in recent times. Alex waved once and said, “See you tomorrow, Taskmaster.”


End file.
